


Breakdown In Blue

by NervousAliceCurious



Series: Escape the Night Fandom 3 - Lost Fragments [2]
Category: Multi-Fandom, OET, Original Work, Our ETerNity Together (Web Series AU)
Genre: Dreams, Gen, Going off the rails, Trapped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:35:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 13,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25759699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NervousAliceCurious/pseuds/NervousAliceCurious
Summary: At the first opportunity available, a Plant Man convinces his friend to visit another world, knowing full well they cannot go back.
Series: Escape the Night Fandom 3 - Lost Fragments [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1603276
Comments: 75
Kudos: 2





	1. Distant City

**Author's Note:**

> Cw: Anxiety.

_The portal closes._

_“Wow-“_

_I put a hand up to shield my eyes._

_“…Are we really back?”_

_“Yes”._

_He’s smiling slightly._

_“I can’t believe a place like this still exists!”_

_I really can’t._

_For most of the past two years, if it’s not under some kind of wacky dictator, it’s going to be invaded by ETN villains, or someone else equally heinous._

_Here,_

_It’s peaceful._

_People walk along the cobbled streets, window-shopping…._

_“How did you find it, again?”_

_“-Sal came to me in a dream. From there, it was easy”._

_“….Who’s responsible for….”_

_I wave my arms in the air-_

_“Everything-“_

_“I heard it was the Blue Fairy-“_

_“Eh!?”_

_I jump._

_“She exists???”_

_“So did BJ, and the Guests, and-“_

_“Yeah, but…”_

_She would’ve been the first Fairy Tale character._

_“What can she do?”_

_“Get you out of Ciel’s body…and hopefully restore them to life in the process”._

_“She can!?”_

_“She’s the Blue Fairy”._

_He shrugs._

_“Okay, so….”_

_I stop._

_“-How is she more powerful than the Cursed God and his friends?”_

_“She’s…not”, he explains, “She’s just been around a lot longer. . . . . . .and they don’t have a clue she exists”._

_“…..”_

_I can almost kind-of tell._

_….There’s something he’s not saying._

_“Is that true?”_

_“As far as I know”._

_He brushes some hair out of his face._

_“What’s wrong?”_

_“It’s just-“_

It feels too good to be true.

-No, that’s not it…

_“Candy Pop used to be a scary Demon, and now he’s trapped in a body with no powers and no luck. Nanami-san was a literal Angel, and they used her however they liked,_ and _she’s still missing to this day”._

_I take a breath-_

_“How can it be that one of the strongest Fairies ever is able to hide out in reality here without any repercussions at all?”_

_He sighs._

_“Well....”_

_I turn to face him-_

_“It might just be…that she’s using a similar system to the Barrier, only-“_

_“Only what?”_

_“-Only magic doesn’t work when you get inside. Not even Dark, or Non-Dark Wish Stones, or what you’ve said about the others would be true for her, too”._

_I blink._

_“What”._

_I wonder if I heard him wrong._

_. . . . . I look down at both my hands-_

_I concentrate._

Come on, come on-!

_Nothing happens._

_I look back at him-_

_Something…_ strange _is going on..._

_His form is…fading._

_Or is it-_

_Changing..._

_“-How did you know-“_

_“Some people would prefer to forget the rumor that someone could create a safeguard against Magic. I’m not one of them”._

_“But then-“_

_Maybe I’m trying to deflect._

_“Wouldn’t she have_ no _magic-“_

_“Pretty sure she’s hidden it…and she’d want to be able to defend herself against others’ attacks should it all fail, right? It’s logic”._

_Maybe I’m in denial._

_“. . . . . . . . . . “_

_“I know it’ll be difficult to find her, here, with those conditions, but I think it could be done-“_

_“Envy?”_

_“-Yeah?”_

_-I’m not entirely certain what’s happening, but I’ve gathered this much:_

_“Are we stuck?”_

_He doesn’t not-meet my gaze.. ._

_“Yes”._

_I don’t even feel any emotion._

_It’s probably shock-_

_It’s probably the shock._

_“But…”_

_I stammer-_

_“But what about our friends-“_

_“They’ll be fine”._

_He sounds confident-_

_He reminds me of a black-maple tree now, some pink in the green eyes._

_Claws, and clawed toes……._

_I’m beginning to suspect the reason for why he walks around as a human minus the ears half the time._

_“They’ve been fine, and they’ll barely want to leave where they are, anyway”._

_-I don’t necessarily hear_ bitter _that often, but I’m getting good at sniffing it out._

_“But they need us-“_

_“It’ll be fine”._

_I gulp._

_“Are you sure-“_

_“Yes”, he says flatly, “They always end up there eventually…”_

_“But-“_

_I can’t leave it alone._

_“They’ll be so_ mad-“

_“At me”._

_“...”_

_“They’ll be mad at_ me, _not at you”._

_“But-“_

_I_ still _can’t leave it alone-_

_“But Envy, wHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME-!??”_

_-Pedestrians give us The Confused Look._

_I tone it down-_

_“I could’ve warned everyone!”_

_“-They wouldn’t have let us go”._

_“….Why not?”_

_“Because”._

_We start walking…._

_“Because….?”_

_“Remember the Tracker?”_

-Oh yeah.

Wish I could forget.

_“………I don’t like this, though-“_

_Of course, it’s a bit late._

_“They’re gonna be worried-“_

_“Well we can’t go back”._

_He doesn’t seem sorry._

_“….Can we even leave?”_

_“If she trusts us”._

_-That_ also _doesn’t sound good._

_“Envy-“_

_“Yeah?”_

_It’s_ my _turn to sigh._

_“You should’ve told me……”_

_“I know”._


	2. Drowning In Purple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe-Not-Everyone's Favorite Trickster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Nothing?

_Well._

I pull at the ropes-

Hey, these are good quality.

-Unfortunately for me.

…Did they steal my knives?

. . .

(They totally stole my knives).

. . . . . . Hmph.

I scoot over just as they close the door.

“Hey-HEY!!”

I bang at it with my feet-

“-This is the part where you’re supposed to monologue and explain your evil plan more and-“

“Bye”.

“Wait wait wait-“

_Think of something, think-_

“What’s Limbo?”

They walk off-

_Fudge._

I lie back, looking around for another way out.

Steel walls, I’m stuck in a cube.

_Saw, anyone?_

The lights dim.

_Oh fun._

The ground beneath me grows…less solid?

_Oh this is **really** going to be fun-_

The smile is definitely frozen on my face.

_I am **definitely** sinking._

It’s too early to panic-

Or is it too late?

-Either way, down we go……..

Although for all I know, I’m only floating in space.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Present's sure off to a start.


	3. The Complicated Truth Of It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of it boils over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Discussed death, betrayal. Brief moment of gross.
> 
> This one will probably hit meta-close, be careful guys.

_We keep walking..._

_“What are we looking for-What does she look like?”_

_I only remember the blonde woman in a blue dress from ‘Pinocchio’, who could bring inanimate toys to life._

_“She might have blue hair....”_

_He thinks._

_“That’d be a bit on the nose”._

_“I guess”._

_I twist my hands up into knots._

_There’s not much I can do about this....._

_It kind-of scares me a little._

_And I know it’ll be worse in the night..._

_Everything always is._

_I can’t imagine what their reactions will be if and when they find out._

_He seems more at ease now than he’s ever been. . ._

_“She wouldn’t make it easy on us...”_

_“In times like these, why would she”._

_And there’s the bitter again._

_“....True.....”_

_I smile, but I worry he’ll read right through me._

_“But...what do we do if we find her? -Besides get my body back, I mean-“_

_“...Hm?”_

_“Um......”_

_I try to voice another fear I have-_

_“Are...you......”_

_“Am I.............?”_

_We turn a corner._

_The trees are green and flowery._

_“Are you going to try to do something to halt all this?”_

_It’s empty._

_“-“_

_He does a double-take._

_“W-what?”_

_Completely, empty-_

_“. . . . . . . “_

_I look him right in the eyes._

_“I know you”._

_He looks into mine, cornered._

_“Yeah-?”_

_“If the opportunity presents itself-“_

_I begin-_

_“....Yeah?”_

_“You’ll take it-“_

_........._

_He does seem... **very** guilty._

_“-You’re not supposed to do that!”_

_“...................................................”_

_“You_ can’t _do that-“_

_“I mean, I could”, he says quietly, “I’d just get in trouble”._

_“’Trouble’, is a mild term”._

_It makes me afraid-_

_“It’s not yours to end-“_

_“What if it never ends?”_

_Something there I’d_ never _seen-_

_“You’d be trapped in this cycle forever...and so would everyone else”._

_“But...aren’t we here because we_ all _want to be here?”_

_“Not everyone.......”_

_He sighs-_

_“Half of these people didn’t even know what they were getting into...and the fact that another half of them have accepted they were brought in to die?_

_It’s sick”._

_“There’s not much you can do about acceptance. . .”_

_“Maybe there is”._

_“But it’d be wrong...”_

_“It’s only wrong because they_ said _it was...”_

_“Some people need to be the hero once in their life...”_

_“That doesn’t mean they get to play with others’ lives......Fiction is becoming real. And death...there’s no going back......not unless you’re a lucky few”._

_“Well...yeah, but we’re getting Tokens-“_

_“We are. . . . . . .”_

_He focuses a thousand miles away._

_“Isn’t that enough?”_

_“.............It’s been two years....”_

_“Not yet-“_

_“But it_ will _be”._

_He focuses onto me._

_“But doing these kinds of things to get what you want is...as bad, isn’t it? They trusted you, and you did stuff without caring about how_ they _felt about it, either”._

_What is he thinking? I have to try-_

_“If they did it first, is it really so wrong?”_

_“Yeah...because this time, it hurt me too”._

_He flinches._

_“What-what do you mean-“_

_“Envy.....you hid things from me because you thought I wouldn’t like it. That’s not what friends do”._

_“You_ didn’t _like it-“_

_“Yeah. Don’t you see? You used to trust me”._

_“I-I-“_

_He sputters for a minute-_

_“I didn’t want you to have to pick sides”._

_“......Sides?”_

_-I do, and don’t, have an idea._

_“Between...me and. . .”_

_He trails off._

_“Envy.....”_

_.........He doesn’t respond._

_“I’m sure there’s an explanation”._

_“. . . . . . . . . . . . .”_

_His expression becomes darker._

_“If it’s the one she runs for, then we’re_ never _finding out”._

_He goes to leave-_

_“Envy, it’s probably because of stuff like_ this”.

_I hang onto his arm-_

_“....Why does she need me?”_

_“Well...she and your sister are in love, and.....”_

_“And......?”_

_“You’ve basically said you don’t like anything she’s done”._

_“Can I_ really _be the only person who doesn’t?”_

_“.........”_

_I struggle with words-_

_“I....don’t know, but you’re the only person who’s managed to push_ everyone _else away so successfully”._

_. . . . . He glances off somewhere._

_“Besides Candy Pop?”_

_“Yes........”_

_-Speaking of whom, he was probably fuming about being left behind..._

_Oh...dear...._

_“What’s wrong with that?”_

_-I snap into the present again._

_“What’s wrong?”_

_I feel my head spin._

_“It hurts people, you_ just _found Ivy, they could **kill** you in the next challenge-“_

_“No they wouldn’t...”_

_“They might. . . .”_

_“Then-“_

_He tilts his head, as if confused-_

_“That means I was right to do what I’ve done”._

_“No, no, not like-“_

_I’m not ready for someone to suddenly show up at a moment like this._

_I repeatedly check for approaching shadows..._

_“What are you going to do if you keep failing?”_

_“I don’t...intend to fail-“_

_The square stays quiet._

_I heave a brief sigh of relief._

_“Okay, say you go through with what you’re planning, and it_ does _work. What do you think will happen?”_

_“...The Writers and Guests and whomever would be home safe? No more stalking? No more danger, or fights, or-“_

_“Or...?”_

_“Everyone would be happier......?”_

_-I have to stop and think for a second._

_On the surface, it_ sounds _perfect-_

_“What if not everyone’s happy?”_

_“Why wouldn’t they be?”_

_His face is basically me when I’m staring at maths, and I don’t have a clue what to do._

_“Because people are using it as a place to escape home...”_

_“-Aren’t they always being captured, though?”_

_“If it was for nothing, it would’ve only happened once”._

_“-But what about for_ you?”

_He leans in-_

_“What are..._ you _here for, then.....”_

_“Huh?”_

_“Why are they always taking_ you?”

_“Um...”_

_Honestly...._

_“I’m...I don’t know”._

_My cheeks flush._

_“To give me my own...story? Character.....development.....................”_

_-He’s getting more and more unimpressed by the minute._

_“There are better ways to do it than risking your life-you_ hate _being stalked, anyway!”_

_“Yeah....”_

_-I might be losing him._

_“But I won’t abandon friends........I joined to help them, in the beginning..............because they were falling to the evil, not a one could stay uncorrupted or free at first..._ _If I’d stayed quiet...my life wouldn’t be as it is now, it’s true......but they’d all be gone. And I’d_ know _I could’ve prevented it....”_

_“Did you?”_

_“Huh-“_

_“Did you prevent it?”_

_“. . .”_

_My stomach...sinks........_

_“Because to me, it seems like what you did, didn’t stick at_ all”.

_“Ow, that’s mean-“_

_He winces._

_“I’m...sorry, but...........we’re still doing what they want. We’re still killing people when we don’t have to...we’re still running._ _If it’s a twisted game, we’re still playing it how they want, we’ve been playing it how they want from the very start”._

_He lets out a breath._

_“Wouldn’t it be better to get ahead of them, for once?”_

_“..........Yeah..........”_

_But even...so....._

_“If the formula’s not working, then why shouldn’t we do something ourselves? A purpose is only a purpose if you_ act _on it”._

_-I’m very glad no one’s around to hear that._

_I can_ already _imagine how badly it would go over._

_“But Envy...what if something else is made to come along after that, to fill in the hole?”_

_“Not if I can help it.....”_

_Promise or a threat?_

_Probably...both....._

_“But.....what if they die? Because you keep taking everything-“_

_He stiffens._

_“What-W-why!?”_

_“Because....because this AU is their hope”._

_..._

_He stares at me like I told him something incomprehensible._

_“H...Hope!?”_

_“Uh-huh”._

_“I don’t-understand-“_

_“....Not everyone’s lives are great on the flipside, you know?”_

_“....But......”_

_“If Fiction goes easier, wouldn’t you want to stay there too?”_

_“No-“_

_“.....Even if it meant you’d be happier?”_

_“Where?”_

_His irises flash-_

_“Between the constant arguing and the Cursed God, how can there_ be _any?”_

_“We got to visit a lot of cool places-“_

_“They were all overrun with his friends”._

_“They could change sides...like Cecelia”._

_“What if we’re still being used?”_

_“. . . .We can still stop her, though, right?”_

_“The only reason we beat her was because she switched allegiances. We couldn’t save anyone until she chose to give up...and it’ll likely be the same old refrain in the future”._

_“That won’t help us with the Cursed God-“_

_“That’s why events have unfolded the way they have-so we won’t ever_ have _to face him”._

_He continues on-_

_“I can’t be the first to say it: you’ve sold your soul for nothing”._

_“...........................”_

_Shock appears on his features, but what’s shocking about me starting to tear up?_

_“Alice...? What’s the matter? Please don’t cry-“_

_Too late for that..._

_“You make it sound so...hopeless....”_

_“There_ is _hope...”_

_He wraps his arms around me._

_“It’s here, not out there”._

_I wipe at my nose before I can get snot on him._

_“Please don’t be sad....”_

_Grass scent, but sharper._

_It fits._

_“It’s gonna be alright”._

_I sniffle, and cough-_

_I hug him..._

_“Does it have to be like-“_

_I have to crane my neck._

_“Does it have to be alright like-“_

_He rustles._

_A plucked leaf-_

_“It can.....”_

_I scrub the gunk from my eyes and nostrils._

_“Thank you-“_

_“It’s okay”._

_I tremble-_

_“If you do this, you can’t ever undo it...”_

_“Huh?”_

_I gulp in air._

_“If you really do.....get away with it........”_

_I swallow hard._

_“Whatever happens after that, you_ can’t _undo”._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello.


	4. Lyra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the Present, life goes on...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Brief injury.

-A bit belatedly, Erica's portrait magically dissolves, and becomes another's:

Lyra.

_Saw that one coming,_ is Kyoko's only comment.

-Of course, this was why they hadn't heard from her in a while.

She half-expected a lot more bodies to drop-

_-Though they have Makoto so they’ll probably be fine._

…..Yes, she’d noticed the Honorific slip.

…………………….

She smiles a tiny smile.

-

After that, things quiet down...

No portrait changes, no condition changes from Sal.

She’d made sure to bandage up his hands.

There weren’t any further wounds (that she could see), so she’d just left it at that.

_It’s the best I can do for now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday!!


	5. A Search With More Legwork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Details are as elusive as wifi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Brief stalking mention.

_I never really_ intended _for it to be undone._

_I wonder what it would mean, though..._

_I can’t control the others’ actions._

_So...._

_How could I be responsible for whatever they do?_

_Cause and effect?_

_. . . . ._

_There’s one drawback-_

_I didn’t want to make her unhappy._

_“...Alice?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“I don’t know if we’re gonna be able to find her in a day”._

_“....This place_ is _pretty big-“_

_It’s an understatement-_

_These buildings soar._

_At least there are enough plants to balance it out._

_I think I’d suffocate in here, otherwise._

_“Where do you want to stay when the sun goes down-“_

_“Um....”_

_She blinks._

_She looks at the ‘tissue’ in her hand, and then starts looking for a place to throw it._

_...When she can’t see one, she slips it into her pocket._

_“I don’t have a problem with anything-“_

_“Okay”._

_Like...a bench, or something?_

_But no, we’d probably get arrested for vagrancy._

_Maybe a bus stop?_

_I don’t...believe we have any money for an actual room._

What time is it?

_I have no clue..._

_Hard to say whether we’ve been discovered ‘Missing’ by now, or not._

_“In the Meantime, we might start asking people if they’ve seen a blonde woman?_

_Or a blue-haired one-“_

_“That could lead us to anyone”._

_She finishes wiping at her eyes._

_“We should probably search the web for what she looks like, first?”_

_A shrug-_

_“It may be totally wrong, but the Internet must still be usable._

_She’s a figure of Legend._

_There should be_ something _out there about her...”_

_“Good point”._

_The only places I can think of that would have access to tech would be the library and/or some kind of...café......?_

_“Uh...what about that place?”_

_It’s got a giant teacup above the door._

_“’The’.....’Daily’....’Grounds’?”_

_She struggles, but it’s understandable-_

_Script so fancy even_ I _can barely read what it says._

_“Yeah”._

_“.....Sure”._

_She rubs her face, reflection in the opaque window matching her movements._

_“Oof....”_

I’m sorry.

_“-Well I hope they don’t ask us questions....”_

_“Me too”._

I’d say it, but...

_I open the door, and jump at the bell._

-They always have to put these-!???

_She chuckles slightly, and rubs my arm._

_I’m flushing already. . ._

_“-Hello new people?”_

_The person at the counter sticks their neck out._

_“Hi!” Alice waves._

_“Hi...”_

_I carefully shut it so that noise won’t go off again._

_“Do you have any computers?”_

_“That would...be nice-“_

_“In a coffee shop?”_

_-We messed up._

_“Yes....?”_

_I shift under the eyes of everyone else who is trying to drink...whatever....in peace......._

_“......................”_

_The person stares at us for a long while._

_“......Is that a no?”_

_I wait for an answer..._

_Alice sniffs loudly._

_Then sneezes._

_“....It’s a no”._

Darn.

I mean-

_“........Thanks anyway...........”_

_“Come again, cuties-“_

_We exit Stage Road._

_“That didn’t work...”_

_I sigh._

_“We can always try somewhere else”._

_“True...”_

_I keep an eye out for any alternate locations that may serve our purposes._

_“-Look: Information!”_

_“What-“_

_I spin-_

_I knock the sign over._

_“Oh no-I’m so sorry-!!”_

_I hurry to set it right-_

_The attendant gapes at me like he’s never seen a tall person in black before._

_“Uh...there”._

_“Like it never hit the pavement at all”._

_“....Can I help you two?”_

_-I remember what’s going on, and where we are._

_“Do you have any computers?” Alice asks._

_“No. . . . .”_

_“Oh, okay”._

_-I mean, it was a good try....._

_“Do you...know who has them?”_

_I gulp._

_“Try the library”._

_“......Library?”_

_We probably should’ve told them we were new-_

_“Up there”._

_They point._

_“It has twin lions out front”._

_“Thank you...”_

_“Thank you!”_

_My muscles relax._

_We’re just walking._

_We’re not running...._

_And we’re not running_ away _from somebody, either._

_We’re not in any danger-_

_Best of all:_

_Alice is no longer upset._

_If it wasn’t for the wrong body, it’d be like the old days._

_Just us two._

_Hanging out..._

_When the biggest worry we had was making sure we didn’t stray too far apart._

I miss it. . . . . .

_“Envy?”_

_“Huh-“_

_She’s looking up at me, and I realize._

_I could tell her._

_I could_ finally _tell her, Wonderland be darned._

_Cecelia wouldn’t erase what I said._

_Perhaps the only acceptable part of her side-swap-_

_“Yeah?”_

_“You’re...smiling”._

_“.....”_

_For once, I understand why this never-ending Quest is often pushed aside._

_It’s tempting, being....._

_Here._

Safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found the spider again, but it hid again. TnT Send help...


	6. Sal Fisher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens after possession?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Brief injury, bad place, shadows.

It’s dark.

-Not much of a shocker...

Am I dead.

-The relative term would be ‘again’, but...

I feel for a pulse.

-When did I get bandages?

Right up my arms.

I’m not sure if what I’m touching is real, or not.

What I saw is still in my head.

The words, are still in my head-

I _want_ to wake up, but at the same time I can’t summon enough energy to move.

Dark power like that...

It’s exhausting.

What it _wanted_ to do with me was drag me into Despair.

...

I understand why it was left there.

I just hope it’s gone.

If someone were to take that crystal for their own ends?

It wouldn’t end well.

. . .

I should _really_ stop hoping for miracles.

They never happen.

I’m losing strength...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, it's gone-


	7. Blue Mystery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Library Trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Memory manip.

_Twin lions._

_As promised._

_They tower over me!_

_“Wow!” Alice exclaims..._

_“How tall are they?”_

_“Uh-“_

.....Um-

_“....9 ft.?”_

_“Whoa....”_

_“-Wait, maybe 12”._

_“WOW”._

_“Heheh....”_

_It’s nice to see her smiling._

_We climb the thousands of stairs to reach the building, and then I hold the door open._

_“Thank you!”_

_“You’re welcome...”_

_-We get shushed._

Oops...

_Anyway, it’s not hard to locate the computers..._

_I’d prefer not to talk to the front desk person anyhow, they’re extremely intimidating._

_“I must warn you, I’m bad with technical...everything”._

_“That’s okay”._

_She sits in the chair, and clicks the swirling icon._

_The screen blips up and I jolt slightly._

_“It’s just waking itself”._

_“...Oh.....”_

_-I thought we were about to be hacked for a second there._

_“Hehe”._

_She types in ‘blue legend, fairy tale’._

_“Blue Fairy Book?”_

_“Nah, that’d be copyright infringement”._

_‘What does the blue fairy look like?’_

_I know, I know:_

_Don’t trust the Info._

_“We have-_

_Blue Fairy blonde from the Disney film-“_

_“I never liked those movies...kissing girls while they’re asleep, is just-“_

_“And...turquoise fairy?”_

_“Say what?”_

_“‘Fairy With Turquoise Hair’”._

_“Oh?”_

_“I’m gonna look at that, and then images-“_

_“Good plan”._

_-So basically this azure-haired woman-she’s always around whenever the wooden guy screws up (which is often), and you know what?_

_We may as well be living it right now, only there’s no magical being watching over us, just blatant luck._

_“She reminds me of a lunch lady-“_

_Alice snorts at that._

_-The images give us only what we’ve seen thus far._

_“....Well that was fun”._

_“Yup”._

_Back to Square One._

_“....At least we have_ some _idea of who we’re searching for”._

_“We been knew”._

-Isn’t that the truth.

_“Maybe she’ll figure out what we’re doing and come find us herself”._

_“That would be nice. And scary-“_

_“Scary?”_

_“She can do amazing stuff, like...bring a wooden boy to life”._

_“...”_

_I shudder._

_“Right, right...”_

_I suppose that amount of strength could be considered a double-edged sword._

_“.....What do you want to do now?”_

_She thinks for a moment, kicking her feet over the stair she’s sitting on._

_The height from here, is dizzying-_

_“Sleep”._

_-I try not to laugh too much._

_“You want to sleep up here?”_

_“No-“_

_She stretches._

_“But I’m tired”._

_“. . . .”_

_We_ have _been on the run quite nonstop lately..._

_“It’s understandable....”_

_I stand up._

_Offer her a hand-_

_She takes it._

_-I forgot how warm...!_

Don’t blush don’t blush don’t blush-

I just blushed, didn’t I.

_I’m very lucky she says nothing._

_“....Hey Envy?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_We’re about halfway down when she says it._

_“What’s going on?”_

_“.....”_

_She reaches into her pocket._

_“...Where did I get this?”_

_My heart-_

_Stops-_

_It’s a petal._

_From the rose I gave her-_

_“You....still have that!?”_

_“Huh-I guess?”_

_She rubs it between her fingers._

_“I found it in my robes-when we were at the Bird’s Place”._

_“I’m glad-I mean-“_

_I almost stumble and fall._

_“-Yikes!”_

_She grabs onto me-_

_“I’m okay”, I reassure her, though in reality-_

_“I’m okay”._

_“What happened?”_

_-I don’t know how to answer that._

_"I can't believe you still have it"._

_"The flower?"_

_She's confused-_

_"Is it yours?"_

_"Yes-"_

_"When?"_

_She shakes her head._

_"I don't remember-"_

_"It was on the Island. Your memory was erased-"_

_"What!?"_

_I wince._

_"I...tried to tell you something that day. I think-"_

_"What did you try to tell me!?"_

_Her eyes are wide._

_"I..."_

_I swallow._

_"I tried to tell you..."_

_A part of me is still-_

_. . ._

_"..........."_

_"...........?"_

_I'm torn._

_I want to follow through with what I started,_

_but if the minute we leave here..._

_it disappears......_

_-Unless._

_"I love you"._

_"What-"_

_-Now it's her turn to almost fall._

_"Whoa, careful-"_

_I catch her just in time._

_"I-I love you too-"_

_-She looks absolutely terrified out of her mind._

Was this a mistake-

_"I-I had NO idea-!!"_

_"I know..."_

_I look down at the Square, far below us._

_"We...we should probably-"_

_. . . . .She slowly nods._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Weds. Day!


	8. Alex Wassabi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the wake of two deaths, what the heck are they going to do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Basically an extended anxiety attack. Death mentions.

_This isn’t good..._

_Oh **man,** this isn’t good-_

I think-

A hero can reel sometimes, right?

Delta’s gone-

Jaiden is dead, Parris is dead and I...don’t even know about Rene.

The others are going to be _furious_ when they find out-

All their efforts for nothing.

-Well I can’t breathe, but it’s fine-

Maybe-

If I can get in touch with them-

They can find her?

-But I don’t know how to do that...

I scramble over to the fallen person and help them sit up.

I’m feeling for a pulse, and I can’t tell if it’s there or not.

-Okay let’s not panic-

Even if it’s already too late-

I have to get ahold of someone.

_Okay, okay-_

If you’re not smiling, you’re doing it wrong.

Even now-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Alex has quite the problem to solve-


	9. I Don't Know Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice Vs. Emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Death mention.

_I said ‘I love you too’._

_It almost didn’t make sense._

_Thinking back, I’d grown used to him being around._

_-Until he wasn’t._

_Then, all I wanted was for him to be back._

_The idea of anything bad happening to him was painful to me._

_But I’d always just thought it was because we were such good friends._

_He’d kept trying to tell me that one thing for so long?_

_“Why would anyone erase my memory?”_

_“They had a set plan, and I guess ... “_

_He runs a hand through his hair._

_“They didn’t expect me to come along and ruin it”._

_“.....”_

_The concept of anyone being that close had never, ever once occurred to me._

_I’d spent my whole life being told I didn’t need it to be happy that I’d just...forgotten it._

_Entirely._

_-Of course, it also helped that everyone’s unions wedded or otherwise kept collapsing in front of my face._

_I’d always get so_ annoyed _when they made it seem like ‘such a wonderful experience’._

_“Well it’s hard to keep something like that bottled up for so long....”_

_“At the pace we were going, I didn’t think I’d have any other chances”._

_I’m wondering if I’m dreaming, but I don’t want to hurt his feelings if I pinch my muscle._

_As outlandish as this all seems, some of it_ must _be real or else why respond like that?_

_It couldn’t have been out of fear-_

_“....How long have you-“_

_He hides his eyes._

_“Since....some time between Joey’s arrival and the Bunker-mess-“_

_“Really?”_

_It’s kind-of...strange to accept, actually-_

_“How come?”_

_“-You were never afraid of me”._

_He smiles a bit._

_“You have so much energy-“_

_“I do?”_

_“Yes, and you still haven’t abandoned me, so-“_

_“Huh!? Why would I do that?”_

_He looks uncomfortable._

_“. . . . . . . . . . . . . “_

_“-Oh”._

_Right._

_His rebellions-_

_I have a fear of breaking peoples’ hearts._

_Maybe it’s that, too._

_-But seriously, he’s kind...he doesn’t make me second-guess anything he says, and now I can’t picture green eyes the same._

_He’s also very clumsy-cute..._

_And he’s squishy._

_..._

_Something of that must be love, right?_

_I’ve never been in love before, and it’s been twenty years._

_It_ must _be, right?_

_Right?_

_But if I never saw it coming, what if it’s not real?_

_“-Alice?”_

_“Huh-“_

_He’s looking down at me worriedly._

_“Are you alright?”_

_“....”_

_I don’t really know what to say._

_“...I don’t know anything about love”._

_“Love has a set formula?”_

_“I don’t know. . . . .”_

_....I’m not so sure what he’ll think when I reveal I hate the endgame._

_(He probably won’t care, but-)_

_What about all my friends?_

_-Nikita will definitely be a stick in the mud as well as Lyra._

_Forget what my family would believe, I don’t have a clue._

_I don’t know if I want to make a big deal out of it anyway._

_“....Alice?”_

_“Huh?”_

_“. . . . .”_

_What’s in my face?_

_Can he tell?_

_“......Is it hard?”_

_“Hard?”_

_“. . .”_

_We walk along, no particular place in mind..._

_“I don’t live close enough to anything healthy...and I’ll never know what dad and mom were like.......he didn’t live...long....”_

_“I’m sorry...”_

_“It’s okay...his birthday’s coming up, but I don’t remember the day. . . .I feel kind-of bad, to be honest-“_

_“You’ve got a lot on your plate now. It’s fine...”_

_. . . . .It goes silent........_

_“....I might not be any good at the fancy dating stuff”, I admit, finally._

_“You don’t have to be”._

_“And I’m very dense-“_

_“You just don’t think like that, it’s okay-“_

_“And I keep screwing up being there for you-“_

_“It’s just bad timing”._

_He rubs my shoulder._

_“I like how different you are”._

_-There it is again, it must be a dream._

_“I like-you too-“_

_-He really is a good guy..._

_If I could keep him out of whatever he’s planning, I would._

_But should I?_

_-It’d **hurt** to see him break...._

_That reminds me._

_“Envy?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“Who’s the Queen of Fiction?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun times answering this one.


	10. A Presence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who is this man!?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Watching. C.P.'s language.

Roi’s in awe.

Teala looks like a scared rabbit.

DeStorm is ready to punch him if he utters something out of line.

_How did he manage this!?_

_Last I checked, he didn’t have **that** kind of power-_

He’s flat-edged.

A Construct.

_Has no one else noticed, yet!??_

I squint.

His eyes. . .

They’re big, and olive-green.

I...can almost-

“What the h* are you doing?” C.P. snaps at me-

“I think someone’s looking back”.

“No duh, he’s gonna be looking at _you,_ you weirdo-“

“No, not like _that-“_

I try to keep it down-

“-?”

Wh...huh?

_“Now_ what’s wrong”.

“Someone’s-“

A nudging, at the back of my skull-

I turn, but no one’s there.

“....”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot-building intensifies.


	11. Speaking Of Her Royal Majesty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who IS this Queen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Tiny, tiny self-harm, blood. Doubts. Worries of and rejection.

_“....She rules the Land of Fiction?”_

_He seems..perplexed......._

_“What about her?”_

_“Well...isn’t she my mom too, or something?”_

_“Your mom in Reality was around first”._

_He huffs._

_“-D’oh”._

_Unapologetic, eh?_

_“But...is she?”_

_“According to the script-“_

_“But....”_

_“It’s like that show with the Planet Heroines-“_

_“Sailor Moon?”_

_“Reincarnation....that”._

_“......”_

_“...You have a problem with it?”_

_“....It’s just...”_

_I fidget with my fingers-_

_“I like my mom as is”._

_“...I see”._

_“....Do you think they’ll be upset?”_

_“I don’t know....it’s you, how upset can they get?”_

_I shrug._

_“I hope they_ won’t _be....”_

_I pick at my nails._

_“I thought you might know her because you live there...”_

_“Yeah”._

_He nods-_

_“What’s she like?”_

_“She’s...nice, very calm....I haven’t seen her in a while, though”._

_“Cool”._

_The clicking noise increases._

_“Do you think she’ll like me?”_

_“I don’t see why not-“_

_“Well-“_

_I tear off a piece._

_“For one thing, there’s all that stuff I just told you”._

_“.........”_

_I wait for a response-_

_“I think it would be surprising if she made a fuss...”_

_“How?”_

_“Well...she’d love you”._

_“What would the King think?”_

_“He’s away half the time. And he never did know what to do with a crying baby-“_

_“....Okay. So it’s like that-“_

_It never is a good idea, to try to fill the gap._

_At least for me, I don’t know why, it always backfires._

_“Did you know baby me?”_

_“I heard you didn’t like to sleep”._

_“That sounds legit-“_

_For a new timeline, its accurateness is-_

_“I don’t think...I’d want to stay in Fiction, though-“_

_“Now that, they might have a problem with”._

“Everyone _would have a problem with it”._

Everyone except you, and...

I haven't heard a thing from the Mindscape at all.

_“Well it’s not as if you couldn’t go back and forth...I have the ability to take you anywhere”._

_“. . . .Thank you....”_

_But-_

_“They might shut that down out of worry...”_

_“Then we can always find another way”._

_“....But what if people get upset?”_

_“You never used to worry about it before....”_

_I look down._

_“. . . . . . But this is an Escape world. If_ I _can’t enjoy it, what does that say about me?”_

_“....Alice, there’s nothing wrong with you”._

_“I know....”_

_But this new wrinkle might mean there_ is.

_Who wants to ever go home after visiting a world with all your favorite characters, where anything can happen and all your dreams can come true?_

_It may as well be Wonderland._

_Who would even_ try _to turn that down??_

_“It’s almost been two years. It’s okay to miss them, a little”._

_“...I know......”_

_I can’t help but have the feeling I’m giving him more reasons to leave-_

_“...........I don’t think the Queen and King_ are _gonna love me”._

_“Do you want them to?”_

_“No”._

_“....Well you don’t have much to lose then”._

_I guess not._

_“-Envy, is this treasonous?”_

_“I highly doubt it, but if it is, I’m just as guilty as you are”._

_“Oof”._

_“Yeah-Did you know I was planning to move out?”_

_“Whaaaat-“_

_That throws me for a b-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-g loop-_

_“You were!?”_

_“People kept hinting I should join the Royal Guard. I got sick of it”._

_“.....”_

_-I mean, it figures..._

_“Where would you have gone?”_

_“Some other universe”._

_“Whoa. . . .”_

_He_ would, _though..._

_“You must have a lot of courage...”_

_I tear off another nail-_

_“I can barely persuade myself that I wanna go to Paris, half the time”._

_“....It’s more just ‘me being done with everything’....”_

_“That’s you right now”._

_He chuckles some._

_“I suppose it’s been a long moment coming”._

-Seriously,

How do I get him to stop?

I have to do something, but words-

Aren’t doing me any favors-

We don’t have a plan to find the fairy.

I wasn’t expecting we’d end up on these topics instead-

As we keep walking,

_Blood globs on my finger._

_Oops. . ._

_“Alice!?”_

_“...”_

_I sheepishly smile at him?_

_“How did you do that...?”_

Tore out another nail too quick...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heavy, heavy stuff.


	12. Limitations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Return of Purple Boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: The void, being trapped in said void. Accidentally hurting oneself. Brief panic mention, hallucinations.

-I can now declare that Limbo is boring.

I’ve been floating in here for ages...

I mean it’s dark, but it’s purple-dark, so I can-I can handle that-

No way, I’m totally not being sarcastic right now.

-These bonds, are-

Testing, me-

OW my wrist-

I relax for a second.

Really, if I stopped moving, I’d be panicking more.

If I could use these shadows to get _out,_ I would-

_Hmph._

“HELLO!!!”

Third time in twenty minutes.

Probably.

“IS ANYONE THERE-“

Yeesh, I scare myself.

. . .

Annnd no answer.

_I can’t be the **only** inmate-_

Dang.

Sadly, I am _not_ magically superpowered enough to send a Distress Call.

I can barely even see the door, and I’m pretty sure I’m hallucinating that.

_Well now what._

. . . . Take a nap?

I’d _love_ to make a plan...

I just-

Need to-

Break-free-

......I’m definitely giving myself rope burn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thursday!


	13. Hidden Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You learn something new every day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Disc. minor self-harm, minor blood, anxiety, panic attack. Nyctophobia. Creepy staring.

_I_ thought _I heard clicking-_

_“....”_

_“...Nervous habit?”_

_How long has she been doing this for?_

_“Let me see-“_

_She holds out her finger._

_...I can’t believe I didn’t notice sooner._

_Her nails are ragged-_

_“How regular-“_

_“....All the time....I-can’t even remember when I started-it was like, years and years ago. I think”._

_“And the bleeding?”_

_“. . . . A lot”._

_She shifts her weight from one leg to the other._

_I tear a leaf, and press it over the small wound-_

_“I know your username, but how often are you-“_

_“.........A lot.............”_

_-A click._

_“-I didn’t mean to do that-“_

_I wind my hand through hers._

_“Is that all?”_

_Her fingers run over each other._

_“No....”_

_“What...else do you do?”_

_“Pull the skin off my lip-“_

_My skin crawls._

_“Oh my goodness”._

_“It’s...been around for just as long-“_

_“And I pick my toenails-“_

_What she’s telling me is pretty tame, but-_

_“I once itched off a bunch of scabs...because they bugged me”._

_“Do you pick at everything?”_

_“. . . Uh-huh....”_

_I can’t believe I let it slide under my radar._

_“........”_

_Actually no._

_I_ can _believe it._

_I tear more leaves, crunch them into a ball._

_“Here”._

_She holds it, feeling the texture-_

_“Thank you....”_

_“It’s...it’s okay”._

_I give her a hug._

_“It...could’ve been worse”._

_“..............Yeah”._

_-And that doesn’t sound too good._

_There’s something else._

_-But the likelihood of me hearing what it is while we both know what I’m trying to do is slim to none._

_...._

_“We still have plenty of hours to go before it gets dark”, I offer, “Maybe we’ll spot someone interesting if we keep looking?”_

_“Maybe”._

_She smiles, but her eyes are tired._

_I didn’t know a city could have so many pigeons._

_I’m-_

_They must have decided I’m some kind of statue._

_“Hey-“_

_“Aww, they like you!”_

_“Do they_ have _to land on me, though!?”_

_I lightly shake my arm._

_“Living creature, thanks-!”_

_They fluff their wings at me._

_“-What does_ that _mean?!”_

_“Getting comfortable?”_

_I groan-_

_“At least they’re not attempting to eat you-“_

_“Yet-“_

_I swear they’re staring into my soul._

_“Cute birdies...”_

_Alice stands on her tip-toes so she can see better._

_“Hehe-“_

_........I don’t have the heart to forcefully remove them._

_“I hope they don’t hang around all day....”_

_“Well if they do, they’ll be your new friends”._

_“Great...”_

_We continue searching, and to my chagrin, people look...._

_I know I’m a bright shade of greenish-purple-_

_We don’t really find anyone out of the ordinary._

_-No one with blue hair, I mean._

_Plenty of blondes._

_But..._

_This fairy could be literally_ anyone.

_It’s not like Fiction, where every heart is on a sleeve, and every appearance is an establishing character moment._

_It’s even harder to discover without magic..._

_Alice yawns._

_-I completely forgot she wanted to sleep-!!_

_“-I’m sorry-I shouldn’t have made you work when you said-“_

_“Huh? Oh yeah-“_

_....We both forgot._

_“S’okay”._

_She pats my arm._

_The ball bounces._

_“At least we won’t be stuck staying up tonight”._

_. . . .In the end, I have to shoo them away..._

_I sneeze on the feathers left fluttering behind-_

_Alice plunks down on the bus stop bench._

_.....I’m lighter than air._

_I miss them?_

_“They might come back later”, she reassures._

_I settle myself next to her..._

_It’s quiet._

_We watch park-goers until I notice a slight pressure._

_“-?”_

_Oh..._

_She’s fallen asleep on me._

_I smile._

She really does deserve the rest...

_A single moment without any fear or pain._

_......._

_I do too._

_. . . . . . . . . . . . ._

_I admit, I’m a little afraid of sleeping._

_I’m often plagued by nightmares......_

_I don’t know._

_My eyes are...._

_Getting..._

_Heavy.._

_._

_-What time is it?_

_The moon shines down-_

H-huh!?

_I am paralyzed almost instantly._

It’s so dark-!

_But there’s moonlight._

But-

_My heart races, and I have to remind myself to calm down._

It’s okay. . .it’s...

_It’s okay-_

I don’t like the dark-

_I frantically look for Alice, even though-_

She’s right there.

_The tension drains from my shoulders..._

It’s okay.

_She’s right there._

It’s okay-

_I’m not alone..._

I’m not alone-

_I can’t..._

Be hurt.

_Now._

_................................................................................................................._

_A night breeze ruffles my hair-_

_I feel a shiver creep up my spine._

...Did today truly happen. . . .

_For the first time since we left...I’m starting to sense the weight of what I’ve done._

_......We’re in for a rough reception, but if I can get them to see it was all_ my _idea-_

_At least Alice will be spared the brunt of the fallout._

_...I sigh._

_That’s_ if _we go back._

_If everything stays the same..._

_I become aware of someone close by._

_It’s deserted, or it should’ve been..._

_Slightly taller than Alice, the figure._

_They’re just standing there._

_I can barely make them out._

_Their stare is unflinching._

_Unease ripples through me. . ._

What do they want?

Who are they-

_They’re gone._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some ghostly business going on here.


	14. Love Before Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inside the tree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Worry, memory issues.

The letters swirl in my mind, but I can’t catch them.

‘I’

‘L’

‘U’

.

What...what does it mean-

In front of me, Mystic sits with Ivy, and Andrea R.

Gabbie is vibing with her eyes closed, and Ro is pensively shuffling from side-to-side.

I’m getting more and more nervous by the minute-

Why can’t I remember?

What happened-

I shake my head to clear it.

The red petal is still in my grasp...

I don’t have time to think about this now.

But someday...

Hopefully soon.

I’ll be able to ask him about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When do I add the ETN tag, ahhhhh-


	15. Phantom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strange occurrences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Sleep habits, voicelessness, eating, maybe drinking? Hallucinations, sanity doubts. Blood, paranoia. Worry. Appetite loss.

_I don’t dare move._

_They’re gone, but I don’t_ dare _move._

_. . ._

_I keep quiet, and wait for morning..._

_Alice stirs next to me._

_“Mmm...”_

_“Had a good sleep?”_

_“Yeah-“_

_“Nice”._

_“Did you?”_

_“...”_

-I should tell her...

_“I-“_

_My throat-!_

_I can’t-_

_“....I...not-well-“_

_Why-_

_“Oh no!”_

_She gives me a consolation hug-_

_“You can drift off again if you want-“_

_“No...no, it’s fine-“_

Why can't I-

_I rub my eyes._

_“I’m okay”._

_“Okay...”_

_I look at my hand._

_It feels...wet?_

_Disturbed, I shelf it for now..._

_We have to keep looking._

_“...Where do you want to check today?”_

_“Food”._

_I snort-_

_“Right, right...”_

_I may not need to eat, but she does-_

_“. . .Do you think the others are worried?”_

_“We’re not hurt-“_

_“But...do they know?”_

_I have no idea._

_“They won’t freak out at you-“  
_

_“But what about you?”_

_“. . .”_

_I shrug._

_“It wouldn’t be the first time. . .”_

_She frowns._

_“It’s for a good cause._ _How can they complain?”_

_I ruffle her hair._

_She squeezes her eyes shut._

_“-I wonder if they have anything free around here”._

_-They didn’t, but..._

_I found something else interesting._

_“Look at this-“_

_“Wow...”_

_She crouches at the base, while I try to see the stone-cold features._

_A fairy statue, crown, wand, wings, etc._

_No plaque, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if it_ was _her._

_“She’s so cool”._

_“Certainly well-made...”_

_I touch the surface._

_-Is it just my imagination?_

_They seem to be...thrumming-_

What kind of energy is-!?

_I draw back._

_There’s someone kneeling in Alice’s place._

_I catch a glimpse of dark hair and teal before I blink._

_“-?”_

_She stares back at me, like she’d never disappeared at all._

_-I shake my head._

_“Nothing-nothing-“_

_It’s nothing._

_I rub my eyes._

_-They kind-of sting?_

_“...Maybe they’ll have free samples somewhere”._

_“Ooh, I love those-“_

_Hallucinations?_

But. . .why?

_Lack of sleep?_

Maybe...

I might have to rescind my earlier statement.

_I should’ve known better than to take the lull for granted._

_-But Alice needed fuel, and since we were having terrible luck getting it..._

_“-Didn’t you two come by here yesterday?”_

_-I knocked the sign over, too._

_“Sorry-“_

_I fumble it back to upright-_

_“Y-you wouldn’t happen to know where-“_

_I’m being eyeballed._

_My arms shake, I’m failing at getting it right-_

_“There’s free food?”_

_I sigh in relief._

Thank you, Alice-

_“You guys broke?”_

_“What?”_

_“Yes”._

_They grimace._

_I’m still lost-_

_“You’ve never heard of the Food Drop?”_

_“The wha-“_

_They nod their head in a particular direction._

_“Oh...”_

_“Thank you!”_

_“. . . No problem...”_

_It’s like the Donation Box in every grocery store ever, except smaller-sized, and sitting on the corner._

_“Yay!!”_

_-She discovered the eggs._

_“Yummy...”_

_I poke one with a fingertip until an indentation appears._

_“Seems cooked to me”._

_-She stops hovering over the oblong protein and devours it._

_I laugh, startled-_

_“This is good”._

_She holds another out to me._

_“Want some?”_

_“No...no thanks, I’m good”._

_“You sure?”_

_“Yeah”._

_“Okay”._

_-She devours more._

Kind-of nice to see her inhaling breakfast, for a change.

_On the island, her appetite quit when she realized the world was gonna turn without her._

_Then things got busy, and the chances to look after anything completely vanished._

_Until now-_

Also helps that she seems more relaxed.

_“All done!”_

_“Wow-“_

_“Thank you Envy”._

_“Huh-“_

_“For being here”._

_. . ._

_Don’t cry don’t cry don’t cry_

_Then we got lucky enough to run into a drinking fountain._

_-It really wasn’t going to explode or something?_

_“It’s only water, silly”._

_I am surprised._

_While she uses it, I look for the sun._

_. . . .It’s so early, glass reflections coat the world._

_........._

_The past two incidents are also at the forefront of my mind..._

_I_ can’t _be going crazy._

_I don’t have the time-_

_And I have my suspicions, but nothing concrete to prove them true._

_I pass another shop window._

_Eyes on my back-_

_I spin-_

_No one._

_-!?_

_A sudden pain under my eyelids makes me cringe._

What the-

_Red-violet drips to the ground._

_My face is...damp!?_

_Those **aren’t** tears._

_My palms ache._

_Chlorophyll-blood washes out._

_Welcoming coolness but what the heck was that!??_

_-Oh crap._

_Three, clear orbs-_

_My heart rate skyrockets._

_I must be imagining this._

_There is_ no _way-_

_..._

_I wipe my cheeks with my arm._

_It’s a real sensation to me..._

_But why did I get-_

_. . ._

_I need to test it out._

_If this is what I_ think _it is-_

_Fortunately, I know exactly what to do._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy.


	16. Cults Are Called 'Cults' For A Reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I knew it would end up like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Language, obsession, panic. Insanity.

“Oh my God! It's been for-f*g-ever. They could've at least left some alcohol or something”.

_Huh-_

“I mean, most of us are old enough to drink”.

_Oh._

"Should we go check on them?"

Just more chatting. . .

"There is no way in h* that I'm going down those stairs, that was like a twenty minute walk up”.

Why not just roll all the way down-

"I'm sure they'll be back, they can't stay there forever. They seemed too worried about Mystic te just leave 'er up 'ere”.

“That's true”.

Why do we want them to come back, though?

The parade returns with a bunch of Guests, Lydia _and_ Beetlejuice?

They’re the only ones not covered in feathers.

"Who the h* are you?"

"They wouldn't comply with uniform regulations, dear goddess”.

.....That kind of talk makes me sick.

"I don't really care”.

"But goddess---"

"Did I f*g stutter?"

Emmy’s eyes nearly pop out of her head.

"Is there more for me to see?"

"Of course, dear Celeste”.

_Say what?_

"Celeste?!" 

Colleen and I are of the same mind.

"Lady, I think you're a little delusional. Her name's Mystic”.

"Not at all. That's merely her earth name. Celeste is her divine name, her true name”.

And who decided _that?_

You?

"Are you ever going to let us go?" Ro asks-

"...............................................................................I mean, I suppose we have no choice. Eventually we must”.

Her behavior’s too fake to ignore, though...

*

_I can’t take it anymore._

_Something inside of me tells me something’s wrong,_

_but what?_

_I have to know._

_So while Emmy’s gushing (further) over Mystic,_

_I gesture to Ivy._

_She walks over_

_ties a vine around my waist_

_Falling_

_Until_

**_CRACK!_ **

_Her cutlass makes a crack in the crystal._

_We feel our way down that high wall._

_Finally on the ground after who knows how long._

_Shorter than taking the steps, that's for sure._

_Now to find out what’s going on._

*

*

_It’s intimidating._

_The place is huge._

_No time for sight-seeing-_

_We need to know._

_So_

_Many_

_Turns_

_And_

_Twists._

_Finally_

_"An Archive room..."_

_Ivy doesn’t even hesitate._

_She kicks right through the door._

_I panic-_

_"What if someone hears us?"_

_Shrug._

_"They're focused on Love over in there. I fink we'll be fine”._

Please don't jinx it.

*

*

*

_Searching._

_So._

_Many._

_Files._

_"Ah!"_

_From Ivy._

_"A file”._

_She sets it down on a table._

_I spare no expense taking a look._

_"Seems normal to me”._

_"Don't jinx it, Alice”._

_But I had._

_The next thing I saw proved that._

_"The Cult of the Golden Bird, in order to_

_avoid going insane_

_must find their songbird._

_They must sing them to 'death',_

(I’m not sure what that means yet)

_only for them to be reborn._

_Those of the cult, in exchange for genetic immortality,_

_carry great suffering._

_If too much befalls them,_

_destruction falls in the world's wake,_

_and woe be to those who stand in their path in that time”._

_I knew it._

_And so did Ivy._

_And it emerges from us both in unison._

_"They're never letting her go”._

*

*

*

*

"Psst!"

Emmy talks _forever-_

But as soon as there’s a pause, Mystic hurries to the crystal pinnacle.

Ivy whips a vine around her waist and she jumps on cue.

-On the ground in no time...

"Where the h* have you been?"

"Tryin' te find out what this cult's got goin' on”.

"What's there to worry about?"

“This”.

And I show her.

"Great, they intend to keep me here forever. What else is new?”

"What's new is that they'll likely go crazy if they don't keep you”, I gulp.

"H--how crazy?"

"'Unleashing the apocalypse and destroying all in their wake' levels of crazy”.

"N-no... That-that's not--that can't be---you're not---"

"See for yourself”.

She does.

"We have to come up with a game plan-“

Her face blanches.

_"Celeste?!?"_

Emmy’s panicking...

Her robed friends climbing the stairs to see us.

_“Find her!”_

_“Don’t return without her-“_

"Ivy, we need to get back up to the others and warn them. We'll come up with a game plan once everyone's in the know”.

She rappels us back up, I’m clutching these pieces of paper for dear life-

It’s almost _too_ scary.

How dizzingly into despair we could fall-

Emmy sounds like the type to not _want_ to be cured even if we _could_ find a way.

That's how they always go...

_"Mystic?!"_ Ro calls out-

-She’s _too_ pale.

_“Mystic-“_

We reach the top just as she crumples into Ivy’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can name a few people who would flip out about this-


	17. On The Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some brief good news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Self-blame, and worrying, stalking, controlling mention, and hints to probably worse.

_......I remember that._

_When Ivy and I brought those documents to light..._

_I remember thinking ‘wow, this is some nasty irony’......_

_Either Emmy is someone who talks for hours, or our luck, is-_

_..._

_I guess Envy wandered off._

_-Well not_ that _far._

_He sticks out, he’s so pretty...!_

_I don’t know why he hides it._

_I turn to the water spray, wondering why I’m thinking of this now._

_There’s no point..._

_It was the past._

_. . ._

_And yet-_

_It must’ve been my fault._

_Maybe he wouldn’t have tricked everyone if I hadn’t mentioned a Second Armageddon-_

_But I know he’d swear up and down it wasn’t me._

_-Even if it_ is _me, because he’s just like that. . ._

_I should tell him off, but I won’t._

_I_ can’t.

_I can’t get enraged, or whatever._

_I_ could. . .

_But it wouldn’t change anything..._

_Would it?_

_...Maybe I just don’t want to see the pain._

_I have my fill and step away._

_My hands flash in front of my eyes._

_Wait. . ._

_My hands._

_I flex my fingers..._

_How-_

_The first glass I find, I see._

All _of me-_

_“Envy? Envy look-“_

_Rapid footsteps._

_“-It worked”._

_“What did-“_

_“We didn’t find her, but-“_

_The clear orbs clink._

_“I think she found us-“_

_“....What are they?”_

_“Wishes?”_

_He tilts his head._

_“-I mean, you have your body back, so-“_

_“But Candy Pop...”_

_I look closer._

_My skin’s transparent, synthetic-_

_“Doesn’t...he have-“_

_“-It zapped me when I mentioned his name”, he admits as he rubs his elbow, “but hey-at least you have_ something. _Although I’m not sure what happened to Ciel...maybe they’ll get_ their _life back as well”._

_“Here’s hoping...”_

_I flex my fingers and toes._

_“Thank you-“_

_But-_

_“Only two left?”_

_“Evidently...”_

_He blushes a little._

_“I...used one to check if they were the real thing....”_

_“.....Okay, but let’s talk about the others first before they get used”._

_“.....”_

_This won’t be a fun conversation by any means._

_It’s necessary, however..._

_“We need a wish to reunite with the others”._

_“...Assuming we let things go on-“_

_“That leaves us with one”._

_“Yes...”_

_“We’d be better off saving it for a big emergency”._

_“Unless it’s canceled...everything we do here could be for_ nothing _if we don’t protect it”._

_“They could cancel our magic from a magic-free zone?”_

_“I’m-I don’t know...I’m_ not _underestimating”._

_“These aren’t the Teastones......”_

_“No, they aren’t. But that doesn’t amount to_ anything _where we come from”._

_“Well we can’t stay_ here...”

_“And no trips to Wonderland?”_

_“Why Wonderland?”_

_“In another timeline I might’ve been able to tell you I love you, and have it stay”._

_“...”_

......Who told him that?

_“As long as I have the petal, I won’t forget-“_

_I quickly ruffle my clothes for it._

_“It’ll probably blow away...”_

_“Hey Envy....”_

_It should still be in my pocket._

_“Yeah?”_

_I reach deep, groping for velvet-_

_“You give me reasons why it’s not hopeless. Why can’t I give you the same thing?”_

_-His mouth shuts._

_“. . .”_

_There it is._

_“.....I just don’t want to repeat the same old pattern-“_

_“I know”._

_I let the petal sit._

_“I don’t want to be stuck having to be dodging that bird woman for the rest of the distant future-even_ if _we defeat the Cursed God, there’s no way we can defeat her-“_

_“What if there is?”_

_“A way to defeat her for **good”.**_

_“...I don’t know-“_

_“We can’t live constantly worrying about being assimilated or stalked or used or whatever else exists out there”._

_“We could, we’ve been doing it for a while”._

_“You haven’t even been living for yourself-“_

_“Huh-“_

_“A psycho dollmaker is after you, he won’t stay dead, he’s acted like the type of creep you_ **despise** _from Day 1, and you’re somehow_ still _focusing on people who actually_ want _these types of plotlines?”_

_He draws in a ragged breath._

_“I hate to have to be the one to tell you, but you were happier_ before _...and stronger, too”._

_“Envy be careful-“_

_I clutch his hand in case the orbs are crushed-_

_“Alice, you even_ admitted _that you weren’t there for any other reason than to help, you don’t_ have _to stay. Because you don’t_ need _this, and you never have-“_

_“I can’t just leave them-“_

_“The Cursed God and his forces only_ ruin _Fiction when_ we _appear. If we_ left-“

_“Now you’re getting_ overly- _meta”._

_“But am I wrong?”_

_“...If he wins, it’s over for everybody-“_

_“Then why the delay!?”_

_“It’s-“_

_“The universe is basically being held hostage over a small amount of Writers’ pride if you look at it like that!_

_Does that **not** disturb you!?”_

_I feel like I might cry again-_

_“-You said you wanted to end it”, I say slowly, “What were you going to do?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll figure this out somehow.


	18. No Presence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Candy Pop is very confused-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: His mouth. Watcher worries.

“Why do you look like you just saw a ghost or some s*?”

“...I didn’t......?”

“-Then what are you freaking out for!?”

Now he’s got _me_ being paranoid.

“Are we being watched again!?”

“No-“

“Huh!?”

-Nobody’s hearing this?

“It was just-“

He shakes his head.

“I don’t know....we have to keep going, right?”

“I mean, yeah-“

Keepin’ this on the down-low, are we?

“If it comes back, I’ll worry about it”.

“................................Mood”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm, hm, hm-


	19. Go Forward To Fall Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An attempt at a wake-up call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Phys. abuse, social condemnation and bullying, and ableism and emo. abuse, and suicide attempt mention. And Korekiyo from Dr look him up if you dare. Inner demons, memory manipulation, fog. Armageddon threat. Death mention. Language, self-blame. And fainting. And yelling. Gaslighting. Doubts.

_We stare at each other._

_I’m unsure of what he’ll say._

_. . . . ._

_How far could he go?_

_I’m scared to find out-_

_I don’t want him to._

_“Show him the future!”_

_“What-“_

_It ***shatters*.**_

*****

Okay, what’s going on?

Am I back in time?

I remember...

Being here-

...

“You!”

-I mean, I already expected this, but she _pushes_ me-

"Mystic!" 

_Oh Alice, I didn’t want you to-_

"H-how did you--?"

I was prepared for this, I was-

"How _dare_ you try to end my happiness!"

_-Happiness?_

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about! I know that you wanna end all of this."

"H-how--?"

"Kokichi showed me”.

_That guy?_

_Really!?_

"Are you really gonna trust him?

I don't think you heard it right”.

-And the slap.

"What was that for?!"

"You sound exactly like her!"

_Who-_

“That doesn't mean you can hurt him”, Alice says-

"Is that really worse than him trying to end something that's not even his to end?"

Is it?

She goes quiet, that’s not promising-

"I tried to tell him that”.

"People's lives are at stake”, I add-

"You think I don't _know_ that? You think I _like_ that they are?! You don't think I'm still kicking myself over the fact that I got them all into this mess to begin with!?"

But you _wrote_ them in-

"Then why is this still going on?"

"BECAUSE I WANT TO GET AWAY FROM MY REAL LIFE!"

OW, my ears-

"You think I just do this for s* and giggles? You think I do this just for fun? Did you know that I've been an outcast since elementary school? Did you know that all throughout elementary school, I was bullied and ostracized for being autistic? For being myself? Did you know that so much of my life has been spent teaching me how to be 'socially acceptable' to the point where now I think every single social mistake I'm related to is my fault? Did you know that I went through emotional abuse in high school from two people I thought were my _best friends_? Did you know that I've attempted suicide before? Did you know any of this about my life or even ask me about why before you were trying to end this. No. Because you don't care about me! Even though you called me your love back at the hotel!"

I’m trying to stay balanced-

I-

"You said we'd never bring that up!"

Alice has an uncomfortable expression.

"Envy.....? Did you.....?"

"It was a slip”.

I was thinking about _you-_

"A Freudian slip?"

"N-no...."

"And that's another reason.... All I do is hurt everyone I care about”.

**_"You're g*n right you do”._ **

Wh-who said that-

Black clouds, who the heck-!?

“D-Dystic....”

"What?" we yelp at the same time-

**_"You thought I wouldn't come back? You thought you could just leave me in that short-lived Halloween kingdom? Oh honey, I've never left you. I've just been plotting”._ **

Halloween...when she was crying out-

“L-leave her alone”.

**_"Oh? I thought you wanted to stop her happiness?"_ **

"Y-you've got it all wrong...."

**_"I thought you didn't care_ ** _**about her, even to the point where you've told Alice about the Queen of Fiction and left Mystic in the dust”.**_

_Wh...huh!??_

"I didn't even have a chance to--"

**_"You think you can play White Knight? You think you can just play the martyr?"_ **

-She grabs Alice.

“Let her go!”

Mystic rushes at her, but is sent to the ground with a flick of the wrist-

-I can’t let her keep Alice, and I can’t let get her hurt-

_What’s with that hand movement!?_

It’s like a swinging pendulum around her head-

**_"You can't even get your damsel-in-distress to remember your confession, let alone save her”._ **

W-Why are her eyes becoming so dark...and empty-!??

*****

*****

Wait.

What?

What’s going on?

All I can see is smoky darkness. It’s....hypnotic.

**_"You'll forget his confession again”._ **

(What? No-)

But I have to fight it.

**_"You'll forget it again, and again, and again. Every single time he tells you, it'll fade from your mind instantly”._ **

"As if! I'm gonna stop you! You're not gonna hurt any of us ever again!"

She cackles...

**_"Oh dearie, you don't have a choice. You can't destroy me. I'm not your battle to fight. And even the one whose battle it is to fight can never fully destroy me”._ **

_Wait....why does she sound like---?_

"What's your endgame?”, I shout- “Why are you trying to hurt Mystic?"

**_"Trying? Oh dear....I'm far beyond trying. As you've seen first-hand, I'm succeeding. All of those times she's been running away, all of those suicide attempts, all of that distrust, that's all of the hurt I've used. All of her trauma is simply fuel for my fire”._ **

"You....you monster...."

**_"Oh come now....I'm not_ ** **_ all _ ** **_bad. If she were to die, I could free that soul inside of her for good, you know? On top of it, I could finally bring her to my mistress, have her marry her instead, and not for the soul inside of her. She's had her eyes on her for a while now”._ **

"Who's this mistress of yours?"

She cackles again...

**_"If I told you that, it'd ruin the surprise”._ **

Something inside of her seems to reconsider, though......

**_"However.....perhaps I could get her to come to you and reveal herself.....but what good would that do? Where's the fun in that? Perhaps instead.....yes.....I'll make you her puppet”._ **

Nope.

Nope.

Nope.

Nope.

SO MUCH NOPE.

"Envy will save me!"

**_"Aww, you think I hadn't thought that through; how naive of you. He's paralyzed in his own fear. Nothing will be able to save you”._ **

I feel myself slipping. I try to hold on-Purple Boy. . . . .

_Please come save me._

**_"Purple Boy? Oh, you mean....the one I killed just an hour ago”._ **

"You....you didn't....you're lying!"

**_"Am I? I'm part of your little friend Mystic, you know? Now remember the word......'token'.....when my mistress says it, you'll drop into a state of total suggestibility. One in which you'll only listen to her and whoever else she willingly gives the power to. One that only she can bring you out of. You won't remember what I told you consciously”._ **

No!

I can't......

Why....

I’m slipping......

"E....Envy...."

And I forget.....

*****

Why can’t I move!?

I have to _go_ to her-

"You see? I only bring trouble”.

_"Of course you do...."_

Why are the literal Shining Twins here!?

"F*....not you two!"

_"You should've just let us control you. We did so much for you after all”._

"You took advantage of my diagnoses and my past, you pr*s!"

_"We kept you afloat and you just leeched off of us”._

"Suck a d*, b*s!" 

-She pulls a middle finger.

Then the darkness takes her, too.

*****

*****

"What happened?"

_I don’t remember anything-_

_But Mystic’s here..._

"Dystic's what happened”.

"Who?"

"My dark self. She's determined to push me to suicide. This AU's my outlet, my way to fight demons like her. And...."

"She might be a bigger danger to us than the Cursed God. As long as she's still out of control.....she'll do what she can to keep this going”.

“-Oh, that's _great_ to hear”.

-He comes into the fog with us.

"I didn't _ask_ for her to appear!"

"I know, I know.....and I'm sorry about not asking--"

But _is_ he really?

...

"No, it's my fault. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my s* like that. You....you've got good intentions....I keep forgetting that”.

_"Oh wow....what a show”._

Ouma?

He’s peeping through a portal-

_"Hey, are you gonna come back in or what?"_

“Oh hey. "I don't know if you're acquainted with the Ultimate Lil S*head”.

“I've heard of him”, Envy sighs.

"Never thought I'd actually meet him”.

-Where does he _find_ these people!??

It's no wonder he acts the way he does-

"C'mon, we should probably get inside so you can meet the others”.

Oh boy.

*****

*****

"So I see Naegi's gotten himself into trouble again...."

_It’s Kirigiri-san!?_

"And you have as well”.

_No...it can't be._

_She doesn't have the ponytail._

"An apocalypse sounds horrible”, Yumeno Himiko(?) continues.

"I don't know how much of my mana it would take to stop it”.

“But there is beauty in it”.

"Oh f*...."

_-Is this the (In)famous Kork the Meme?_

"Kehehehe! There's beauty in both sides to this matter, but the first one sounds amazing. You, a force of beauty and hope, one who relieves them of their suffering. And they treat you like a divine being from the heavens. How could you not be flattered?"

I think he’s related to that Opera Fanatic.

"Because I'd have to stay with them forever to keep humanity from being destroyed”.

"Certainly sacrifices must be made, but nonetheless, you'd be living a life of beauty! One that humanity itself only wishes to achieve! Mystic, you must consider staying. Humanity depends on you living this life of absolute beauty”.

“She doesn't have to consider it just because of 'beauty’”.

He’s creeping me out, big time.

"No, but I do have to consider it, because if I don't pick a good option, humanity's at risk”.

"You probably should've passed out earlier and come to me for advice”, the rich guy declares bluntly.

She rolls her eyes.

"This was the earliest I could pass out. But we're past that. Now we need to come up with a game plan”.

“Just a second”, Other Kirigiri-san interrupts, “You're rushing into this too quickly. If this isn't planned out carefully, you could set off armageddon unintentionally. What you need is a go-between”.

"How are you gonna get one?"

"Simple. The Future Foundation and I could discuss this and pass it along to a helper. If Alison or Calliope could get in here, you'd have someone in the agency to deliver information. That way you can be more careful about this game plan”.

"But are you able to get someone down there?"

"Alison and Calliope are reliable and resourceful; they'd certainly be able to figure out the system of how the tree works”.

It gets darker-

"Anyway, you two should probably go back through the portal. Mystic’s waking up”.

_"Let's hope you conk out again soon!"_

_Ouma....._

We leave........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And back to the future we go.


	20. No Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What changes, what stays the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Memory stuff. Kidnapping mention.

_My head spins..._

_“-Envy?”_

_“.....Alice?”_

_“What-what happened?”_

_We’re in front of the glass._

_I...am...?_

_Like nothing ever occurred-_

_One orb left._

_One wish..._

_“...........Do you remember yesterday-or today-“_

_I try to sort time out._

_It’s...difficult-_

_“....Mm......”_

_She shrugs._

_“Not very well. . .”_

-I figured as much.

_“Do you still have that petal?”_

_“Huh-“_

_She looks at me weird._

_“It’s in your pocket-“_

_She furrows her brow, but she_ does _check-_

_“....Cool. I wonder-“_

_-I honestly can’t tell if it signifies anything to her now, or not._

_“............I think reality got bent, just a little-“_

_“Huh-“_

_Same phrase, same expression._

_“We should get back....they’ll have_ definitely _noticed at this point”._

_“Really?”_

_I nod-_

_“It’ll...be better that way”._

_But..._

_I should make sure of one thing:_

_“Do you remember...someone hypnotizing you?”_

_“No-“_

_She blinks._

_“Why?”_

_“....”_

_I_ should _tell her...._

_“There was...darkness._

_Someone was trying to take you-“_

_“Eww”._

_She shivers._

_“Yeah.....”_

_I thumb the clear bead._

_“So if I could...get rid of that fog and send us back-“_

_-A part of me wonders if I even must try._

_Yet..._

_“It’s not fair...if you’re the one who’s suffering, it wasn’t even your fault”._

_“....Thank you”._

_I feel it break-_

_Her eyes are...livelier._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saturday!


	21. Dangan Spoiler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you didn't know what DR. was before, now you do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: EVERY SPOILER, like it says. Fixation on Despair mention, implied hopelessness, mentioned deaths by stabbing, brute force, poison, strangling, boiling alive, slit throats, being crushed, impaled, sickness, if there's something I forgot PLEASE TELL ME.
> 
> Also sacrifice, and other death mention.

"Okay? That's all?"

Ines, speaking up-

C.P. and I tune in.

"What else is there to say? This project could start the Tragedy all over again”.

...I’d heard about that.

If someone became the next Kamukura, well...

_But Junko always gets what she wants even when she loses_ , my brain helpfully informs me.

_How is she even back from the dead?_

"How do we know you're not just distracting us?"

"Because I fought her once before. She placed me and 15 others in a killing game......"

_Just thinking about it..._

I feel **sick.**

I know them-

Who they were, what they did, their faces-

_Sayaka Maizono, Ultimate Pop Idol......who went to the same middle school as Naegi, who was inspired to make others happy by becoming a pop star; stabbed in the stomach by....._

**_Leon Kuwata, Ultimate Baseball Star........who despised his Ultimate and had dreams of becoming a musician: executed by blunt force trauma through baseballs._ **

_Chihiro Fujisaki, Ultimate Programmer........who made a promise to become his true self, to get stronger and become a man: suffered blunt force trauma inflicted by a dumbbell that was being held by......._

**_Mondo Oowada, Ultimate Biker Gang Leader..........a tough exterior, but a caring soul with remorse for his crime: executed by extreme G-Force and electricity in a metal bike cage._ **

_Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Ultimate Moral Compass.......a law-abiding boy who took the blow of his new best friend severely: suffered a fatal hit to the head with a hammer inflicted by....._

_Hifumi Yamada, Ultimate Fanfic Creator.........a boy who appreciated the world of 2D, but was so easily manipulated, only to die in the very same manner by the one he agreed to help, betrayed by....._

**_Celestia Ludenberg, Ultimate Gambler.............the Queen of Liars who was ashamed of her true self, who wished to stand out and be unique: executed by a fakeout of being burnt at the stake only to be run down by an oncoming firetruck. From elegant and nobility-worthy execution to a commoner's demise in mere seconds._ **

****

**_Sakura Oogami, Ultimate Martial Artist.........nicknamed "Ogre," her tough exterior intimidated most people, but in reality, her heart was full of compassion and concern for the other students: committed suicide by drinking poison after being outed as the mole by Monokuma._ **

_Mukuro Ikusaba, Ultimate Soldier.......one of two halves of the Ultimate Despair sisters and the older twin: disguised as Junko and impaled by the Spears of Gungnir._

"After us, she invaded the Neo World Program we had set up”.

-Of course she did...she even killed their deep-diver-

She was executed before she could come back.

_Byakuya Togami, Ultimate Affluent Progeny.......he promised to lead the group to safety and took precautions for them, only to stabbed from under the floorboards by......_

**_Teruteru Hanamura, Ultimate Chef.........a perverted student who had his heart in the right place when it came to the concerns of other people's well-beings, who tried to stop another student from committing a murder, who wanted so badly to see his momma again: executed by being egged, breaded, and dropped into a volcano._ **

_Mahiru Koizumi, Ultimate Photographer.........who followed in her mother's footsteps as a photographer, who never deleted a single picture she took, whose favorite pictures to take were ones of people smiling: suffered blunt force trauma from a bat, the deadly wound inflicted by....._

**_Peko Pekoyama, Ultimate Swordswoman.........who only thought of herself as a tool, whose only purpose in life, to her, was protecting a fellow classmate she'd known since birth, a classmate who just wanted her to be herself: executed by becoming a puppet for the final time and nearly killing the one she sought to protect before being stabbed in the back._ **

_Ibuki Mioda, Ultimate Musician........who stuck to her value of individuality, even at the risk of losing fans due to not playing popular music, who had one of the most upbeat personalities, who could also be contemplative when the situation called for it: suffered death by inflicted asphyxiation before the crime was framed as a hanging......dying along with......._

_Hiyoko Saionji, Ultimate Traditional Dancer..........who came off as a spoiled, cruel, and whiny girl, but developed it as a defense mechanism due to her past, who never learned to do certain things by herself, who people played cruel and even life-threatening pranks on including putting nails in her sandals, had her throat slit by....._

**_Mikan Tsumiki, Ultimate Nurse..........who had been unloved since childhood, who'd been abused in multiple ways by multiple people, who was able to teach herself how to heal herself: executed by......no one is really sure. Either she was blasted into space or she had a lethal injection._ **

_Nekomaru Nidai, Ultimate Team Manager.......who was optimistic and encouraging, who sacrificed himself to save his best friend from Monokuma, who came back as a robot: fell to his doom several floors below after being hung by his ankles by....._

**_Gundham Tanaka, Ultimate Animal Breeder...........who had a tough façade and played into a fantasy where he was a hellbringer, who still had a soft side particularly for animals: executed by an animal stampede._ **

_Nagito Komaeda, Ultimate Lucky Student........who believed in hope to such an extent that would irritate even the biggest optimist, who believed himself to be a lower being to the Ultimates: he set a convoluted death up for himself to find the traitor......._

**_Chiaki Nanami, Ultimate Gamer.......who had experienced an execution once before, whose love for video games often left her tired, who always tried to be kind to others: executed by being crushed to death by a giant TETRIS block._ **

"And then there was also the Future Foundation killing game”.

He gulps.

But I don’t know this one...

"But then recently, she set up another killing game. The 53rd”.

_-How can she set up a third game that’s the 53 rd?_

I don’t want to hear it anymore, but they’re _still **there-**_

****

_Rantaro Amami, no one knew for certain what his Ultimate was........who seemed to know more than he let on, who no one could quite figure out: suffered blunt force trauma due to a shot put ball, apparently by...._

**_Kaede Akamatsu, Ultimate Pianist.......a kind and devoted woman with a love of Debussy, who played piano to see the happiness in others, who was determined to stop the mastermind and end the killing game, even at the expense of her own life: executed by hanging and extreme G-forced as she was forced to play the piano for the final time._ **

_Ryoma Hoshi, Ultimate Tennis Pro........who was convinced that he was better off dead, who considered himself a murderer, who pushed people away as he believed himself to be an emotional burden; suffered blunt force trauma before being drowned and placed in a piranha tank by......_

**_Kirumi Tojo, Ultimate Maid.........a selfless and devoted woman who tried to run from her execution only to fall into it, by climbing a thorny vine and falling from a great height._ **

_Angie Yonaga, Ultimate Artist........a young and skilled artist, one so religiously devoted to Atua that she didn't fear death; stabbed in the back of the neck by a katana._

_Tenko Chabashira, Ultimate Aikido Master.........who was polite to everyone, even those she considered degenerate males, who taught another participant that it was okay to express her emotions; lost her life in a seance due to a sickle in the back of her neck, both deaths were carried out by......_

**_Korekiyo Shinguji, Ultimate Anthropologist.........who saw beauty even in the ugly sides of humanity; executed by being boiled alive and then having his spirit exorcised._ **

_Miu Iruma, Ultimate Inventor........a lewd, but genius young woman; choked in a virtual world, sending a shock to her brain that killed her in real life. The killer was manipulated by another person, and the killer was......_

**_Gonta Gokuhara, Ultimate Entomologist.........a tall boy with an intimidating exterior, but a big and caring heart of gold, who couldn't remember that he even killed Miu due to a connection error, he was only trying to save the group from finding out the horrible truth about the world outside. Executed by being stung by robotic wasps, stabbed front to back by a giant robotic bug, and finally burnt._ **

_Kokichi Ouma, Ultimate Supreme Leader...........who evolved from a trickster to a sadist, who had trust issues deep down, who wanted to create a murder that not even Monokuma could solve. He was killed by being crushed by a hydraulic press. For a time, no one could tell who was the killer between him and the true blackened....._

**_Kaito Momota, Ultimate Astronaut........who had been slowly succumbing to a terminal illness, who always tried to encourage everyone to keep moving forward. Was supposed to be executed in a rocket dropping from outer space, but he succumbed to his illness while in the middle of achieving his dream of going to space, causing him to die in a place he always wanted to go to and resulting in a failed execution._ **

****

**_Tsumugi Shirogane, Ultimate Cosplayer.....who seemed ordinary. Turned out to be the mastermind and Rantaro's true murderer. Was crushed by a boulder._ **

****

**_Keebo, Ultimate Robot......who wanted to spread hope. Destroyed the school when the game was ended, and in turn, destroyed himself via explosion._ **

"So now she's back for more?" 

That’s Nina...

"I'm trying to make sure you're all safe. I'm on your side, I promise”.

"How do we know that?"

Ines again-

"Because I can lead you right to the well of resurrection."

"Then where is it?"

He stops hiding in the bush.

"Follow me”.

Everyone looks at each other and shrugs-because what else is there to do?

***

Much later, I spot something-

That well looks like a fountain.

I'm not gonna complain, though...

"There".

Cam-Makoto points.

"This is one of many, but I think you should be careful before---"

'Be careful', he said.

They all ran over like excited school children.

"Who should we revive?" (Roi)

"Someone who could help us, of course-like Lele". (Montana)

"We should bring Cyrille back! She could be useful and she didn't get much time--" (Ines)

"Wait!"

Finally!

"Before you go any further, you should probably read the instructions".

Yana heads over to the sign...

She reads quietly.

...

If she _is_ in love, I've got to let her down...non-painfully?

Is that even possible-

-Why did she gasp.

"What? What is it?" Sybille asks-

_"You have found the Well of Resurrection. Unfortunately nothing is free. In order to bring someone back from the dead, you must sacrifice someone else as an exchange. This qualifies for all persons you wish to bring back. If you attempt to cheat the system, your souls will all be purged from your bodies and sent to the Cursed God"._

What!?

Why _him-_

Chlorophyll roars in my ears.

Who made this up!?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof.


	22. Alex The Unlucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What do you do when everything falls apart?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Still panicking, poor guy. Implied nausea, allusion to death. Yanked off.

-I had them and now they’re gone.

_Oooooh, um-_

-Well _this_ isn’t good...

And I _still_ don’t know if she’s alive.

And I don’t know how to contact the Mind People-

-Is it just me or is it getting _really_ hard to breathe around here--

“Alex, get a hold of yourself”.

A hand latches onto my collar.

“-Who-“

I’m dragged into nowhere before I can even protest.

*

“You should’ve never left to begin with”.

“-I wanted to help-“

“Yes, because ‘helping’ is _exactly_ what happened here”.

They are _not_ Kirigiri-san.

“You’re lucky no one... _less-_ than-savory was around to see you”.

“Um...”

_Hate to break it to you, but-_

“The pig-tailed lady and her sister kind-of saw me-“

Blank face.

“You know...Dangan Ronpa?”

“.....Dangan What?”

“........They kill people”.

_Killed_ people.

My stomach...turns....

“Well...an easy fix. . .”

Red eyes lock onto mine.

“ **Don’t**. Do that again”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then there was one.


	23. Story Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's very quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Reminder of phys. violence, sleepy time. Memory bender trouble. Doll-like.

_I don’t think I’d...ever really noticed, before._

_What happens when there’s no update-_

_We’ve never left...Fiction, ever._

_At least,_ I _haven't._

_..............Nothing._

_Beyond the last action._

_Like a tape that has yet to be transcribed._

_“...”_

_Alice steps out first._

_“....What’s this?”_

_“A pause”._

_I step out myself._

_“It’ll probably be gone, soon-“_

I shouldn’t have said that-

_“I-mean....”_

_I take a deep breath._

_“Maybe we’ve glitched ourselves out”._   
_“Like...”_

_Alice puts the dots together in her head-_

_“We can move around while it’s waiting!?”_

_“I guess...now....”_

_Everyone looks like mannequins._

_My skin is_ **crawling-**

_But I caused it, so-_

_Her fingers touch my hand._

_“Don’t worry. They’re our friends”._

_“Y...yeah”._

_I nod-_

_“What do you want to do?”_

_“Nap time for me-“_

_She smiles tiredly._

_“It’s been a day”._

_*_

*

_“-Hey Envy, you’re still-“_

_He realizes at the same moment I do._

_His blush is_ astronomical---

_The black coat and green eyes reappear._

_“Aww...”_

_I hug him._

_“You know you don’t have to hide it if you don’t want to-“_

_“Idon’tknow”._

_He fidgets nervously-_

_“Only Ivy--a-and you, and maybe Mystic have seen....”_

_“That’s okay”._

_He sighs._

_“Well. . .I guess...I could use it to infiltrate the enemy...or whatever, at some point. They’d have no idea it was me”._

_“True...but I’d rather you not risk your life._

_You’re_ already _in trouble-“_

_“Yeah....”_

_*_

_My face smarts from the slap._

_I’m hoping the handprint didn’t carry over..._

_I’m hoping a lot of things didn’t._

_I’m hoping that wish worked-_

_I’m glad Alice is happier, but I feel like I’m going to fall down._

_*_

_*_

_He passes out first-_

_..._

_He must’ve needed the sleep too._

_I’m a little bothered by the vague idea the Other Me couldn’t fight back to save her life, but..._

_At least I can make some Training on my radar._

_..._

_What_ did _he want to tell me?_

_I have the notion we vaguely talked about_ something-

_I remember the Queen stuff, clearly._

_I feel around in my pocket._

_For some reason._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday!


	24. Purple Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a while, it happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: No senses, restraint mention. Running into things?

_-Finally_ snapped it!

About time...

I rub my wrists, then quickly move on to my ankles.

Enough of Limbo.

Just call it what it is:

A cheaper, more glittery version of the Sensory Deprivation Tank.

Darn knots-

My numb fingers won’t agree with me.

I flex them, and try anew-

I _think_ I remember where the door was.

I _think._

Come on, get off of me-!

I am never doing anything nice ever again.

...

Well, I pry those ropes...

I have to rub the circulation back in, for them too.

No use in escaping if I just fall flat.

Can I swim?

I’m going to swim.

Would be nicer if I had a light.

Flailing around is _so_ much fun.

OW.

My face-

I mean, if it’s just my nose, I don’t need to smell to live.

Anyway-

I am-

Out of here-!!

-Wow didn’t expect it to open that easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Purple Boy...


	25. It's Not Important

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hindsight is a wonderful and terrible thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: Drinking anything, implied blood.

Pretty flower. . .

_I can’t remember coming across any roses just growing wherever._

_It must’ve been from him._

Sleepy guy...

_I can usually snooze for a while, but he’s beaten my record this time._

_......That makes me wonder, but oh well._

I guess no matter what you do, there’s _some_ kind of consequence, huh?

_“. . .”_

_“Hi”._

_“...Hello....”_

_I ruffle his hair, for a change._

_He blinks._

_. . . . . . . Delayed blush -_

_“...I-Is e-everyone up yet-“_

_“Nope”._

_“O...oh”._

_He picks at his sleeve._

_“.....................I’m sorry I didn’t tell you we could get stuck over there”._

_“It’s okay”._

_I pat his shoulder._

_“It’s all good”._

_“. . . . .”_

_He looks like he wants to speak._

_“-Oh yeah”._

_It occurs to me._

_“You said you had something to tell me?”_

_He jumps._

_“-Huh? Are you okay?”_

_“......”_

_It takes him a few minutes to talk-_

_“...Y....eah......”_

_“Are you sure?”_

_“....Yeah”._

_He smiles._

_“It wasn’t important anyway”._

_“-?”_

-Huh??

_“...Are you sure?”_

Seemed important to me....

_“Yup”._

_“.....”_

-If he’s sure...

_“Okay”._

_I hop onto the floor._

_“I’m gonna go get a drink of water._

_Want some?”_

_“No, I’m fine”._

_“Alright...”_

_I walk down the hallway, thinking it over._

_If he’s sure..._

_But now I’m curious._

_But I know better than to pry-_

_..._

_Yeah, it’s probably nothing._

_I stop for a moment to adjust my grip on the plastic bottle._

_. . . . . . . . . . ._

_-I look behind me._

_There’s no one._

Hm.

_I turn to leave._

_Red runs into my palms, hot over my cheeks._

_“What-“_

_The word echoes in the empty silence._

_A clear orb rests in my palm._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A sadder one, but hey, we made it this far...

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Thursday?


End file.
